The New York Time’s Ukraine Kremlinology: When Lack of Direct Evidence is Probably Proof of Russian Implication

There is a tendency to believe that Russian president Vladimir Putin is orchestrating the unrest in eastern Ukraine, sending in irregular Russian forces to stir up pro-Russian separatist sentiment.

As guesses go, this might not be a bad one–but journalism is supposed to be about presenting evidence to confirm such speculation. The New York Times clearly has a hunch about deep Russian involvement in Ukraine. The ways it tries to confirm this hunch are curious.

Back in April, the Times got into some trouble (FAIR Blog, 4/23/14) with a “scoop” showing photos of people they claimed were Russian special forces and intelligence forces. A few days later, the Times was conveying skepticism about its own story–skepticism noticeably lacking in the original report.

But before long, the paper (5/4/14) was back on the case, reporting that “one persistent mystery has been the identity and affiliations of the militiamen, who have pressed the confrontation between Russia and the West into its latest bitter phase.”

The piece offered close look at one group of fighters associated with the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic. “Moscow says they are Ukrainians and not part of the Russian armed forces,” the Times reported, while “Western officials and the Ukrainian government insist that Russians have led, organized and equipped the fighters.”

So what does reality say? The Times says that “neither portrayal captures the full story.” Then it goes on:

The rebels of the 12th Company appear to be Ukrainians but, like many in the region, have deep ties to and affinity for Russia. They are veterans of the Soviet, Ukrainian or Russian Armies, and some have families on the other side of the border. Theirs is a tangled mix of identities and loyalties.

If these fighters are Ukrainian, and veterans of–not active duty members of–the Russian armed forces, then it would certainly seem that Moscow’s explanation is closer to the truth than what “Western officials” are alleging about formal Russian control–unless there is evidence that they’re not sharing.

The Times‘ interest in this story continues. “Russians Revealed Among Ukraine Fighters” was the May 28 headline, but the story was less conclusive than that might suggest:

The scene at the hospital was new evidence that fighters from Russia are an increasingly visible part of the conflict here, a development that raises new questions about that country’s role in the unrest. Moscow has denied that its regular soldiers are part of the conflict, and there is no evidence that they are. But motley assortments of fighters from other war zones that are intimately associated with Russia would be unlikely to surface against the powerful will of the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, experts said.

So the fighters raise “new questions” about Russian “role”–but there’s no evidence the fighters are Russian soldiers. But Putin has such a “powerful will” that “motley assortments” of fighters wouldn’t be there if he didn’t want them to be there–so say the “experts.”

As if that wasn’t curious enough, the Times adds:

The disclosure of Russian nationals among the fighters here muddies an already murky picture of the complex connections and allegiances that are beginning to form. While their presence does not draw a straight line to the Kremlin, it raises the possibility of a more subtle Russian game that could keep Ukraine unbalanced for years.

So, to recap: There is no evidence that Russia is in control of any of this, but the lack of such evidence may be a sign of a ”more subtle” game.

And then, one more–this past Sunday (6/1/14) brought the headline, “In Ukraine War, Kremlin Leaves No Fingerprints.” In that piece, the Timesreports that “eastern Ukraine is evolving into a subtle game in which Russian freelancers shape events and the Kremlin plausibly denies involvement.”

While “Putin may not be directing these events…he is certainly their principal beneficiary.” The Times also claims that “for now, at least, the strategy seems to be to destabilize Ukraine as much as possible without leaving conclusive evidence that would trigger more sanctions.”

Again, some–or even all–of this could be true. But the Times doesn’t seem to have the evidence to back up its claims of Russian management of the separatist movements or uprisings. The only time it presented anything that looked like such evidence, it had to retreat. Deep into the June 1 piece, theTimes notes that a Russian investigative journalist thinks “does not believe that either Mr. Borodai or Mr. Strelkov”–those are the two separatists profiled–”is acting on behalf of the Russian government.”

What you’re left with from the Times is the suggestion that the lack of direct evidence is probably proof that Russia is up to something– i.e., “leaving no fingerprints.”

During the days of the Soviet Union, Kremlinologists spent their time poring over state propaganda in an attempt to understand what was really going on in the USSR. It bears some resemblance to what one might be seeing in the New York Times now.

[audio mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2015-06-26%20James%20Evan%20Pilato.mp3"][/audio]This week on the New World Next Week: Israelis arrested in JPMorgan hacking case as gov tries to implicate Russia; royal Nazi past comes out in leaked video; and the Greeks circumvent the euro with barter.

[audio mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2015-07-23%20Financial%20Survival.mp3"][/audio]On this week's edition of Financial Survival James and Alfred discuss free speech (or lack thereof) in Canada, and whether the US will be far behind with hate speech laws and censorship. Also on the table for discussion: gold market manipulation, the gl […]

The Circus Is In Town by: John Grant Someone must have been telling lies about Joseph K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning. - Franz Kafka, The Trial A couple weeks ago, our military special operations command began an eight-week military exercise called Jade Helm 15 in Texas, Lou […]

Big donations are great, but what we really want are lots and lots of small ones by: The TCBH! Collective Good news! Some of our readers are starting to come through. We have, four months into this first ever fund-raising effort, raised one-tenth of our goal: $2000 in mostly small donations. That is great as far as it goes, but really, people are paying int […]

New poem: by: Gary Lindorff I watched a man whipping an apple tree. I held the door open to him. I knew that when he got tired he would turn around and see me holding the door for him. And maybe he would come inside and we could talk. I could see that many of the trees in his orchard bore the scars of the whippings they had received over the years. Some o […]

It's not terrorism if it's retaliation or reciprocal action by: Dave Lindorff I'm not a fan of war or of killing of any kind, but the labeling of the deadly attack by Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez on two US military sites in Chattanooga, Tennessee as an act of terror is absurd. Maybe Abdulazeez will turn out to have been a nut-case bent on co […]

A tale of sexism, racism and corporate pressure? by: Alfredo Lopez The Internet -- always ablaze with controversy -- is a wildfire these days with revelations about more pernicious government spying, deals between governments and corporate "hacker companies", and Ellen Pao's resignation as head of Reddit. I'll have things to say about […]

We’re #1...in the heroin business! by: Jack Balkwill Afghan Brigadier General Abdul Sama was accused recently of smuggling over 40 pounds of heroin. It should come as no surprise that an Afghan general was caught smuggling heroin, the surprise is that any high official in that country should be charged with a crime for profiting from the trade in illegal […]

Is this taking democracy too far? by: Dave Lindorff Something huge has happened in Greece, though you wouldn’t know it if you rely on the US corporate media for your information. That reporting has, with rare exceptions, followed the party line that a bunch of naive “leftists” led by Greece’s relatively young and new prime minister Alexis Tsipras and his […]

A pariah in his home state by: Linn Washington Jr. If New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has any chance of gaining traction in his bid to become the 2016 Republican candidate for president he has to maintain support in suburban communities like East Greenwich Township, a small, predominately white, upper middle income area located about fifty miles south […]

A victory for common sense and basic decency by: Dave Lindorff The pig-headed small-mindedness and intellectual dishonesty of most fundamentalists of whatever religion knows no bounds. Kudos to the narrow majority of the five Supreme Court justices for today at least blowing one result of that pig-headedness out of the water with their ruling declaring th […]

New poem by: Gary Lindorff BAM! Echo, like thunder off the shell of the sky-dome. We, all on the terrace, glance at each other, Jump to action. Everyone knows what to do. Grab something quick, Whatever we don’t want to have to wash Or hose off tomorrow: Mugs of ice-tea, Trays of cucumber slices, carrot sticks, Bowls of chips, cheese, cold-cuts, Pitcher […]

glindorff

Disclaimer

Publication of this blog is non-profit, the images are downloaded from the internet search platforms, if you see an image of your property , Please email me and I will remove it ASAP.

The conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen are all fronts in a multi-dimensional war being waged by the US and its allies. This multi-dimensional war aims to encircle Eurasia. China, Iran, and Russia are the main targets.

Kathleen Willey is a former White House volunteer. She said Bill Clinton sexually assaulted her during his first term in office – in his Oval Office private study. She created “A Scandal a day” web site. Her book titled “Target:…

In The Al Qaeda Network: A New Framework For DefiningThe Enemy, Katherine Zimmerman of the American Enterprise Institute describes the terrorist groups affiliated with Al Qaeda. Zimmerman is seen as a leading expert on the Al Qaeda network, having testified…

If you want a sleepless night – or month – just listen to what Western security officials are saying these days about a possible confrontation with Russia. “If you want to talk about a nation that could pose an existential…